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ALMS and Grand-Am merger will strengthen sport, says ACO

September 5, 2012

The American Le Mans Series will have a new look in 2014 when it merges with Grand-Am. Photo by LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC

The Automobile Club de l'Ouest—the organizer of the 24 Hours of Le Mans—believes that the merger announced on Sept. 5 between Grand-Am and the American Le Mans Series will make international sports-car racing stronger.

ACO president Pierre Fillon, whose organization licenses the Le Mans name to the ALMS, said the move had “become necessary to enable endurance racing to continue to evolve.” He said the merger, which will come into force in 2014, “will reinforce the presence of endurance racing on the international scene.”

A statement from the ACO read: “The ACO is delighted about this merger, which will increase the already large audience for endurance racing in North America, and at the same time boost its international impact.

“The quality of the two organizations combined is a guarantee of confidence concerning the perpetuation of the values and prestige of the Le Mans 24 Hours on the American continent.”

Fillon said he will meet the bosses of the new organization—which include ALMS founder Don Panoz and series boss Scott Atherton—so that he can start working with them on the new series.

The new championship, which has yet to be given a name, will retain a class for the Le Mans GTE division, a fact confirmed at the official announcement of the merger. However, Panoz, who is to be vice-chairman of the new series, said essentially that there will be no LMP1 class in the new series.

Panoz stated that he intends to find a way for successful teams in the new series to be able to secure guaranteed starting spots for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The first and second-placed teams in the ALMS LMP1, LMP2 and GT categories gain entries for Le Mans, along with the class winners at the Petit Le Mans endurance race at Road Atlanta.